Maybe I can blog, too

Well, hey, it's called a blog for a reason. It doesn't entirely have to be a little portfolio of my poetry dawdles and what-not.

So it's Christmas Eve. For about 13 more minutes as I'm writing this, and by the time I finish it'll probably be Christmas. It gives us all time to reflect on a season when we should be giving, enjoy the gifts that we have, etc.

My day started off at 4:45 AM. Fantastic start, eh? I had a 5:30 - 10:00 AM shift at work. Pool was closed till 7:15 on my call due to lightning, then no one came in until 9. So I had three and a half hours to just play on my phone. Great stuff. Then an hour of aerobics class, and I was relieved (in more than one sense of the word).

I swam 1300 yards worth of laps, got out of the pool, chatted with my friend who was lifeguarding, and clocked out to head back home. Got paid 1.5 times as much as normal due to it being Christmas eve. Sweet deal there.

And today was just overall a lazy day. I was hardly what you'd call productive. I think the most I did other than swim laps was clean my room. Played some Halo, chatted with some friends, texted of course, as is per usual, and even took a nap.

Then had some dinner with the family and my uncle and grandma. Some Arabian empanadas were in order, and boy did I need another dose of those. Good stuff. After dinner, we opened presents from my mom's side of the family: I got an ACU hoodie and an office chair for the dorm room. Interesting gifts, made me happy.

Overall, a normal day away from the hustle and bustle of both college and work. It was a nice break, as the next few days will be also. I'm hoping to blog more often, with more interesting reports of days to come.

Peace, and God Bless~

Hide and Seek

Think me foolish, a perversity
Open declaration of philosophy
Here it comes, a whisper of "Ready or Not"
Find it, or die trying.

For in this game of discovery
We seek not what can be seen
Listen, ill boding in the wind
Nay, just a glimmer of ecstasy

A flash of hope, here and gone:
Here to remind us of our fate
Gone for the fool who perpetrates
Law that is lawless in this farewell

But now you play, and remember
A time when this game was simpler
Realization of less than serenity
Demanding acceptance true and fair

Now hide if you will, for it will find you
Seek if ye wish, an evasion inevitable
At this game's end do not cry to me
When it was your vanity that was your end

Catch Me If You Can.

You're The Lie

Behind those signs of misery,
You show sweet signs of ecstasy
Not much compare to the likes of you
How I wish you'd crawl under my shoe

Satisfaction, I get from the fact
That I live reality, not some fantasy
Others' lives don't revolve around me
How sad would that be?

Irony, how the thing you wanted most
You treated like parasite does host
Driven away by your facade,
Don't pretend that you're a god

Fickle fate's fury flee
Before bitter burying becomes
See simply stated signs:
"Here Hate Hurriedly Hides"

For where hate hides, so do lies
Lies weave from innocence a mask
The mask daily you don
Cleverly weaved, I grant you this

I suppose you question my purpose
I question my supposed purpose
But if you still claim you speak truth
I hold no pity for you.

You're The Lie.

Call Me Paranormal

But to my face, you wouldn't dare
No, this is my reality
You walk the walk, and talk the talk
Call yourself what you will,
but you can call me Paranormal.

Think of me Romantically
Seeing things unrealistically
Rhymes create a perfect world
Love makes this world go round,
but you can call me a Romantic.

Hold your peace, it cannot stay
Who's to say it was there, anyway?
Rhythm, a god of Precision's perspective
Accuracy of a marksman, lest it fail,
Call me an Archer of Words.

So call me Paranormal,
When the only option is your judgment.

So call me Romantic,
When your reality is too much for you.

Call me the Archer of Words,
When your aim isn't true.

And Call me Ishmael,
When you can find no other name.

Seldom Do You Show Your Face

Dear Justice,

I realize you're usually pretty busy. I realize you manifest yourself in our images of superheroes, but you need to know that those don't really exist. At least, not the ones that we make up in our own minds.

I tend to put too much faith in the hopes that you'll act on my behalf, Justice. That you'll somehow come in, and blast those who have wronged me to smithereens. Then I'll get to laugh in mirth at their demise, the pitiful souls who dared oppose such a mighty force as me. I'm unbeatable, indestructible, unstoppable. So why should I have to put out my own justice? That's just silly.

Truth is, Justice, I'm not all that strong on my own. I need your help. I need you to point me in the right way, not the way I want to go. Show me what I need to do to get satisfaction out of where I am in life. And if not, then (as the saying goes) just teach me to be satisfied with where I am. I tend to put too much weight into what I want, and the viewpoint of Justice from my eyes. I'm biased, Justice. Open my heart, open my eyes, open my ears. Help me to be Justice. Help me just to understand.

Thanks for listening, God.

Your straying servant,
Daniel

WILT #2: Delinquency

When I was working today, I was talking to the other guard I was working with while the YMCA Day Care kids' group was swimming. We started on the topic of the group the YMCA sponsors for kids who've gotten into trouble with the law. Now, open swim didn't start till 4 and it was 3:30 when three guys walked in. One of them was like the biggest man I've ever seen (I think he might've been pon steroids, not sure). They jumped into the pool in the deep end. I had to swallow a little bit of fear as I walked over to tell them open swim didn't start till 4, but I knew they had to respect my authority else they'd get kicked out of the pool, and possibly the YMCA.

When I told them open swim didn't start till four, the big one looked at me and told me they were with the YMCA. I raised my eyebrow and asked if they really were, and he said "Yeah, I'm a counselor!" in the rudest manner he could muster. I walked back over to the other guard and told her what had happened (she was once head lifeguard, then stepped down because of a busy schedule). She figured they were probably with the group we'd been talking about earlier, so it was okay if they stayed in the pool till the others got out.

It got me thinking. We usually judge people by their past actions. I mean, crime goes on your permanent record. It's basically asking people to judge you. I personally have almost too much faith in people's ability to change. But that'll be for another day.. Anyway, we always judge books by their covers. We always judge people by how they look, carry themselves, and have done in the past.

I heard a story at Encounter of a guy who worked at the YMCA (ironically). One night, he was the only one there late at night finishing up some work, maybe cleaning. A couple of young guys walked in looking for trouble. Started defacing the property in the building, stuff like that. They eventually noticed the guy working, and thought he was trying to call the police. Upon noticing that, they grabbed him, beat him until he was nearly dead, and left him by the side of the pool. The next morning, he was found by one of the other workers. He survived, but lost the use of his eyesight if I remember correctly.

The two young men were brought to court a few weeks later for the crime, and the man was asked to testify against them. But as the judge was about to deliver the verdict, he asked if he could take the men into his care. If they were to mess up again, they could be taken to jail. Otherwise, he would take care of them and raise them to be better young men. The judge agreed. One of the young men immediately following got into trouble with the law again and was arrested. The other one was able to grow up into a better future as a better person.

So I guess what I learned today is that we all judge people by what they've done, but we don't place enough faith in their ability to change. I used to think of it as a flaw of mine, but everyone deserves a second chance. It's up to them whether they blow it, or use it wisely.

WILT #1: Villainy

I'm going to start a new series that I hope to make at least a tri-weekly thing. Maybe I can progress into it being a daily thing someday (if I have that much time everyday) but for now, this'll do. I'm calling it W.I.L.T. (What I Learned Today). It's based on the saying that you learn something new every day. I'm going to try and stimulate myself into making sure I learn something new every day in order that I may keep myself sharp and not get lazy intellectually. So, anyway, here goes.

WILT: Day One
Villainy / Insanity

I was thinking about this blog on my way home tonight, and somehow started thinking about movie and book villains. Even our villains in our daily lives (I.E. The Oh-So-Hated Hitler). Sometimes, villains will go off trying to justify their actions. They say they're just visionaries trying to change the world. One villain in particular strikes me the most in this case.
The Joker is a clear case of a maniacal individual intent on "watching the world burn". He uses unusual methods, to say the least, of accomplishing his goals.
However, there's some realistic applications to the behavior of villains and mentally unstable people. You see, we live in a world where conformity is the key to being considered sane. You're not considered sane if you step too far outside the world's boundaries. There's several boundaries in place, of course. I mean, it takes a great deal of being "different" to be considered mentally insane. But it also takes being outside of those boundaries to see how the world needs changing and how it really ought to be. I'm not calling for us to all become insane or villainous in our actions. It's just, you can't really see what needs fixing when you're part of the mess. We're all part of the mess.

I did a horrid job of explaining my thoughts, but villains really are just visionaries trying to change the world. Their methods are a bit questionable, granted, but sometimes it takes someone out of the ordinary to give us a wake up call to the world we live in.

Johnathan's Story

This story begins in an average, snug little town. A town where everyone knows each other, where normalcy is something to be achieved.

Johnny is a toddler. He lives in his house with his parents. Johnny has no brothers or sisters. Every day, Johnny wakes up, descends the stairs to where his breakfast awaits him and consumes it like every other day before school. Johnny's mother takes his finished bowl of cereal to the sink and rinses it out. Johnny whines about how it wasn't the cereal he likes, and that if his mother loved him, she'd give him the best cereal possible.

His mother does love him, but knows that Johnny needs to learn that people can't always have what they want. Such lessons start with smaller things, to accustom ourselves to larger things.

Johnny goes to get dressed, whining that if his mother loved him, he'd have nicer clothes. Whining that he knows that the family can afford it, and why can't he have it?

Johnny slams the door on his way out of the house to the school bus. When his mom walks out to hand him his lunch, Johnny quickly takes it and runs to the bus. The kids on the bus ask him "Was that your mom?" He replies, "No, that's not my mom."

Johnny arrives at school, looking around for his friends. He talks to them about his parents not loving him, about how if they loved him, bad things wouldn't happen to him. How, if they really did love him, he'd have a perfect life. A happy life with no sadness or sorrow. Everything he ever wanted would be his, if only his parents loved him enough to provide it for him.

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Twenty years later, Johnathan wakes up in the morning in his apartment. He whines about 9/11. He whines about swine flu, he whines about how if God loved us He wouldn't let this stuff happen to us.

Johnathan whines about his work, how if God loved him, He'd give him a better job.

Johnathan complains about war, about corrupt politics, about sickness, death, poverty, sex scandals. If God loved us, he says, none of this would happen.

And God watches with the sadness of a parent watching a child that hasn't yet learned their lesson as Johnathan continues to complain. As Johnathan continues to complain as he cheats on his wife, scams people out of their money, passes people in need without a second glance, and looks at third world countries in contempt. Why does God let this happen, he wonders as he passes by every chance to help change the world that is put before him.

If God loved us, none of this would happen. Right, Johnathan?


Matthew 6:25-34 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Disclaimer: Johnathan was a name just randomly chosen. Johnny's just a common name to throw out in stories. I didn't base this off any one person.

Letter to the Lost Cause

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with regret that I look upon mankind. Regret that I can do nothing, in part, but to a larger extent regret that my helplessness is accepted and nurtured by society. It is with this growing, though partially unwilling, cynicism that I write to you.

We are brought up either as conformists, wishful conformists, or non-conformists. The sad reality, however, is that a major role in developing any of the above mindsets is a direct causation of the parenting skills of those who brought us into existence. Regardless, this does leave room for redemption (or perhaps, corruption). Our upbringings do not always brand us for life. I've been told that I sometimes have too much faith in any given human nature's ability to change. And though you may find this to be true, do not dismiss my words as the ramblings of a lunatic. Though by all qualifications I may meet those standards.

If we are to be brought up to be conformists, it is because we asked to be such. Never having grown out of a desire to have what others have, conformists continue to act fully on their selfish desires, allowing them access into a crowd that cannot succeed beyond that which they conform to.

For reasons inevitable, there are those who wish to conform but cannot. Wishful conformists exist to bridge an otherwise nearly uncrossable gap. However, as they are unable to live a content life without conforming to societal norms, these wishfuls coexist only with a natural desire for acceptance that will only continue to bring them lower.

It takes a conscious and bold effort to defy that which is set before us by society. Non-conformism is not the act of rejection of all conformist ideals. No, non-conformism is merely ridding oneself of conformist shackles that restrain one from truly being able to excel in life. It is being able to conform enough to hold the qualities necessary to succeed, but being different enough to push beyond the norm and into genius.

And though my outlook may not be entirely correct, it may not be entirely inaccurate either. For in some lies we can find a glimmer of truth, and in some truths we can find a trace of a lie.

Is your cup half empty or half full?

With kind regards,
Sophocleus

It's broken, shouldn't I fix it?

Let me take you on a little journey of reminiscence to a time long past (for some of us longer than others, and for others, longer than for some of us): A time when we were children in this world.

I remember my action figures very clearly. In fact, I've kept most of them simply because I've a nasty habit of not being able to give away or throw away things that I've had for a while. But I digress. I always remember those painful days when a duel to determine the fate of the universe was interrupted when a clash of two opposing action figures ended up in the loss of a limb. I would stare down at the dismembered part of the hero's body in solemn mourning. I mean, how can you expect to restore balance to the universe without a leg?

The first few times you'd cry out to your parents to fix it. The answer? Superglue. They'd walk in with the little bottle, squirt a little onto the hole, re-attach the missing limb, and tell you not to touch it for a while. Frustrating at first because you couldn't save the universe for a whole twenty more minutes.

BUT THEN, sword in hand, your hero flew back into action! Only to find you couldn't move the re-attached arm. Huh?

"Oh, you won't be able to move it once it's Superglued. It just has to stay that way," was the answer received from the parental unit.

Crushing disappointment. Your hero was forever handicapped and would remain that way. That's why my old toy chest looks the way it does: arms and legs everywhere with the guys having holes on either sides of their shoulders. Ha. It looks like a graveyard, really.

I suppose you're wondering where I'm going with this. You see, we live in a broken world. The question I had posed was "Why isn't it getting fixed?" I believe the answer lies partly in the fact that people think God works much the same way as Superglue. You're fixed on the outside, but you never fully regain the capabilities you had before you became broken. In order to fix our broken world, we have to be examples of our God's mercy. I haven't really developed my true point very well, but I suppose it makes enough sense as it is. I mean, people want to be fixed, not glued. No one wants a decaying part of them to stay the same for the rest of their lives, they want it fixed. God can do that. No Superglue, no duct tape, He's the remedy.

"Remember that thou hast made me of clay; and wilt thou turn me to dust again?"

(Job 10:9)